[Guest]

ok..   so i am very confused on the spaying issue.

i went through many many topics trying to find my answers, but i couldn't find EXACTLY what i wanted.
i read aqua's topic that talked about the health risks and that got me even MORE confused.



I wasn't sure what age that a dog needed to be spayed.  Also do you spay them before or AFTER their first heat?  I have heard to let them go through one and then have them spayed...  but then i have heard to spay them BEFORE their first heat.    :?

I want her to be spayed because I think it would be best for her and us.  Why make her go through that if she doesn't need to?  But my husband wants to get all the health checks done on her, see if she meets standard, and all the other long list of stuff you need to do to see if we can breed her.  But honestly I would rather not.  At the very beginng before I started this forum I had considered it.  But after reading and learning so much about them I have changed my tune.  

He picks at me because I am always talking about boxers now.  He said I turned into a "boxer nut".     its his fault because he wanted to get a boxer.  NOW I want to get another one for a playmate when she is older!


Sorry for the bunny trail there...        I just don't know what to do!   :-??

 

[tootsie]

When to spay is a very individual decision.  There are pros and cons to spaying early vs. spaying after heat cycles. There are pros and cons to spaying and not spaying. You just need to figure out what you want and what you can deal with and what you think would be best for your pup. Discuss it with your vet, get their feelings on it.
Personally, I would always spay on the early end, before a heat cycle, usually at 6 months.

 

[Guest]

she just turned 8 months!  i will need to make an appointment quickly to figure out what to do.

 

[tootsie]

No real rush, just research and have a discussion with your vet. Good luck!  :wink:

 

[sharonL]

I agree with Lisa but just wanted to add that I also spayed Fiona at 6 months and before her first heat....I also did the same with my lab previous and she lived to the ripe old age of 15 without any issues.....

 

[Guest]

Thank you both for the replies  

Its is such a hard decision what to do.  Everyone has their own preference too.  I just gotta figure out mine   :?

 

[Guest]

As stated in the LONG post I had previously...I think I am going to be waiting for my Jetta to reach at least 18 months...this will be a way for me to avoid most of the mammory tumor risk as well as let her finish growing, and try to prevent some risk for the other problems...I don't know for sure if this is the right thing...but it makes sense to me...We have in the past had a spayed female mixed breed who only lived to 10 and an unaltered female boston terrier who also only lived til 10...so I have no previous experience in length of life in unspayed vs. spayed females...so it's gonna be a research thing for me, lol...whatever you decide I'm sure will be the right decision....it's all really a game of chance in the end

 

[samsonsmom]

It's definitely a decision you have to make yourself, all of my Boxers have been fixed, well except for Buck and that was thru no fault of mine, never had any health issues because of it either...I personally do not want to go thru a heat cycle, it can be a royal pain depending on your female, so if I were to have another, I would spay before her first season..Everything in life is a crap shoot when you think about it, so it's just what you decide to do that matters

 

[JettaAndOscar]

Top 9 Reasons to Spay or Neuter Your Dog

  1. Altered dogs, on average, live longer, healthier lives.
  2. Female dogs spayed before their first birthday are 99.9 percent less likely to develop reproductive cancer.
  3. Altered dogs behave better and are more focused on training.
  4. You'll stop overpopulation. One female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 dogs in just six years.
  5. You'll stop homelessness. Only one in four dogs find a permanent, loving home.
  6. You'll stop the killings. More than eight million surplus dogs and cats are destroyed each year because there are not enough homes for them. Taxpayers pick up the tab to the tune of $300 million.
  7. Eighty percent of dogs struck by vehicles are unaltered males.
  8. The majority of dog bites to postal carriers are from unaltered male dogs.
  9. Pet licensing fees are lower in cost for altered dogs in many cities and countries.

Taken from Green Living.              I'm just worried that people will stop spaying and neutering their pets out of fear.

 

[Newcastle]

That list is pure AR propaganda, however - the statistics have been disproven or discredited in most cases, overpopulation is a myth in most of the country, and the list doesn't touch on any of the risks of having the surgery which are documented and valid.  It's fear-mongering of a different sort.

So what if someone doesn't spay/neuter their pet because they think the risks outweigh the benefits, so long as they don't let the pet indiscriminately reproduce?  It is entirely possible to have an intact dog and *not* produce litters of puppies that are dumped at the shelter or on the roadside; millions of people do it every year.

 

[Guest]

which is what I am leaning towards for Jetta at least until she is 18-24 months...but...who knows after that...just means I have to be more responsible than other dog owners.

 

[JettaAndOscar]

It is Jetta never had puppies in three years, but poor dear I had her spayed and she has bladder issues.  I have no experience with over population studies.  I just have been to the local animal shelter, and a good friend of mine is a vet in Tennesse.  They are my only real references.  I have also lived in the country and seen tons of dogs just dropped off, trust me there are plenty of dogs to go around.

 

[Newcastle]

Yes, but the dogs that are dropped off are not there because of spay/neuter issues; they're there because of owner issues.  If you have a large population of puppies being euthanized in shelter, then you have an overpopulation problem (this does happen in a few, mostly rural, areas).  If you have a large population of adult dogs, then you have a retention problem - the puppies *had* homes, they just didn't keep them.  If you live in an area where shelters are importing dogs from other states or other countries (which happens quite frequently), then you have a distribution problem.  (This is probably the best kind of shelter problem to have, not enough adult dogs for homes that want them.)